The Amazing Race 18 Season Wrap-Up

The Amazing Race 18 Wrap-Up

Another season, come and gone. It was pretty obvious early in the TAR18 development stage that it would be at the very least, some sort of All-Stars-type, former Racers season. What was unexpected though was its theme of being”Unfinished Business” and the exclusion of any pre-TARAS team. Right off the bat, the season was starting to leave a bad taste in the mouths of many long-time TAR fans.

But as the season went on, and now that it is over, The Amazing Race 18 ended up not being bad at all.

Better Than ExpectedTAR18 had pretty low expectations to begin with, but it did deliver enough entertainment to at least save it from becoming an irrelevant mess.

But it was also no TAR17.

Season 17 is arguably the best season since TAR12 (save for the winners of course) and TAR18, though still great, lacked some of the freshness and spark of last season. And even worse, TAR18 slipped slowly back into simplicity.

The tasks this season were mostly uninspired with only vaguely interesting, but not so memorable Detours and Road Blocks.

The zero-hour non-elimination Pit Stops were the only tweak this season and they are definitely a great idea. But it brings to light how the Speed Bump as a non-elimination penalty is great on paper, but has been very poorly executed.

The leg design has been alright for the most part, though the show seems to be increasingly disregarding uniform Pit Stop durations in favor of letting teams go whenever they feel like.

For a pseudo-All-Stars season, this should’ve been much harder, much more difficult because these people have Raced before and know and ins and outs of the Race, no matter what new twists (and there weren’t any) are thrown at them.

Beautiful HDBest part about this season though has to be the High Definition. Finally. The Amazing Race in crystal clear HD.

The show looks absolutely beautiful in HD and that alone might help Emmy voters lean towards TAR. The scope of TAR is now fully realized in HD. Even if the tasks are less than stellar, at least their surroundings look stunning.

It is so great to have The Amazing Race in high definition.

Hopes and Dreams for TAR19 and the FutureOnce again, I hope Bert and Co. step up their game for TAR19. It is the show’s 10th Anniversary (officially), so TAR should pull out all the stops next season and really take TAR to the next level.

Looks like the Fast Forward is officially dead. And that is incredibly unfortunate. Every season, I hope TAR brings the Fast Forward back to importance on the Race as it provides great drama as well as gives teams hope of staying alive.

As for the simplicity of TAR, their Emmy loss last year should’ve been a wakeup call to step up their game and really deliver. They did well this season, but nothing that might excite Emmy voters and some fans. TAR needs to make TAR19 more challenging, more fun, and more “amazing” in the travelogue aspect. There needs to be more interaction with the locals as well as more fresh countries to visit instead of the old standbys.

And finally, the Final Task. The most disappointing part of the season has to be the lame final leg tasks. When other seasons have had memory tasks (Road Block or otherwise) as the final challenge before the Finish Line, it is a letdown when a finale comes down to some random, mundane task. The memory Final Tasks have always been exciting and helps make the finale that much more meaningful.

Ron & Christina – They were on their way, but one horrible leg is all any team needs to get eliminated from the Race. I definitely enjoyed them even more the 2nd time around and am grateful to have been able to enjoy them for one and a half seasons. They were hilarious, sweet, charming, and strong Racers (when they didn’t fail like they did in India). I would love to see them come back for TARAS2, but I know that is highly unlikely. They officially became my all-time favorite team though thanks to TAR18.

Kent & Vyxsin – I definitely do not remember them being this hilariously random and frantic in TAR12, but I enjoyed a lot more now than I did back then. Even though they may have been playing up to the cameras, at least it was hilarious and enjoyable unlike other teams. Little mistakes always continue piling up until that last straw that breaks your back. And it happened with them here. Still, their drama and hilarity make them one of the more interesting teams this season.

Gary & Mallory – Major props to them for Racing back to back seasons and doing even better the 2nd time around. (Though the BQs did a better job between TAR11 and TARAS.) Mallory definitely had more sugar this time around and most of them, she was hilariously jolly and goofy. Gary is definitely a strong Racer and both he and Mallory would’ve been great winners and a great team to be the first parent/child to win. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be.

Amanda & Kris – The 2nd attempt at Kris & Jon 2.0 gets the unlucky draw and gets U-Turned again. I would have loved to have seen them go far into the Race because they would’ve otherwise been a strong team. And maybe, finally, they could be the one non-annoying dating couple to have won.

Kisha & Jen – The most consistent team this season, Kisha & Jen definitely are deserving winners. They remained under the radar, but they Raced well, faced their fears and got the million dollars. It would’ve been nice to have seen more personality from them this season though. Other Kisha’s hilariously contagious laugh and the incredibly forced Globetrotter flirting the last couple of eps, they were so under the radar, some legs would have them on for maybe a minute or two. Still, despite the lack of airtime, they at least Raced well and deserve the cash.

Mel & Mike – We know one time, Mel has incredible fighting spirit a big heart. Like in TAR14, Mel struggled, but pushed on and at times showed a stronger drive and will to win than his son. Of course, one’s health takes priority over a reality show, but Mel especially Raced well and proved it doesn’t matter what age you are.

Jaime & Cara -One slip-up and you’re out of the Race. After narrowly losing TAR14, this was their chance to be the next all-female team to win the Race, but it wasn’t going to happen. They Raced sloppily and eventually got eliminated because of it. Would’ve been interesting to see how they competed further into the Race.

Zev & Justin – They may have won plenty of legs (and a Ford Focus!), but they were very erratic and inconsistent on the Race. If it wasn’t either of them whining and getting frustrated, it was their bad luck with delays. They let frustrated get the better of them and it eventually caught up.

Margie & Luke – TAR18 proved how strong Margie is, both emotionally and physically, and how Margie is the ace of her team. Taking charge and completing tasks Luke would breakdown in, Margie showed her strength and to positive results.

Jet & Cord – They flamed out earlier than the many new/casual fans had hoped for, but I think they left at the right time if not a little later than they should have. An inconsistent Race wasn’t going to propel them in the final 3.

Flight Time & Big Easy – Incredibly annoying. They’re bullies who are loud and have no consideration for other people’s belongings. So happy they did not win. As if they needed the money anyway.

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